Fried Eggplant Sticks @ Tony Mandina’s

Fried Eggplant Sticks @ Tony Mandina’s

Enough for a table of four, the fried eggplant appetizer at Gretna’s Italian cafe Tony Mandina’s are some of the best around. Nothing off the standard specs for the dish: hot, crusty, greaseless, and just the right size to fry properly. (For the record, that’s about twice the dimensions of the typical French fry.) Grated Parmigiana cheese and marinara sauce are there, of course.

Tony Mandina’s. Gretna: 1915 Pratt. 504-362-2010.

This is among the 500 best dishes in New Orleans area restaurants. Click here for a list of the other 499.